6:47 am: Juniper stirs next to me (we bedshare), and I turn over, pull her close, and she nurses. Sometimes she falls back asleep, not this time, though. After a few minutes of nursing, her eyes flutter open, she smiles, and starts speaking her adorable baby language.

6:58 am: She’s done nursing, and is up and ready to go. She’s crawling all the around the bed. Climbing on us, the pillows, the headboard, basically anything she can get her hands on. Craig wakes up, and we all relax in bed a bit longer. We chat about a few things, and try to keep the baby girl from crawling off the edge of the bed.

I know this post is about two weeks (okay, maybe a little more) late, but I’m finally ready to talk about what I want in 2015, so it’s right on schedule for me. You’ve probably seen it going around on social media. People picking one single word to help them shape and define their new year. One little word that helps provide them direction in every decision they make in 2015.

This post is brought to you by SheKnows and Unilever Project Sunlight.

I’ve led a charmed life. Never once, have I wondered where my next meal would come from. Having those kinds of blessings can sometimes make it hard to remember that not everyone has the same privilege. Daily, I purposely try to turn my focus to compassion and empathy. It’s not always easy to be empathetic to the person who cuts me off while I’m running late for an appointment, but if I can remember in those moments that everyone I meet is fighting their own battle, I’m being the person I want to be for myself, my family, and my friends. And, most importantly, being the kind of example I want to be for my daughter.

Happy Black Friday, everyone! I hope you all had an absolutely spectacular Thanksgiving, and if you chose to brave the stores this morning, I hope you were able to get exactly what you wanted without too much hassle. You couldn’t get me to go Black Friday shopping is they were literally paying you to take TVs, so I’m happily at home this morning enjoying some down time with the family.

Since we are now officially into the holiday shopping season, I figured it was time for me to show off some of my picks for the best gifts for healthy cooks. These are some of my absolute favorite kitchen tools I own, and I can recommend each and every one of them!

If you and I were to sit down for coffee this morning, I’d start off by asking you how you are doing. I was such a bad listener last time. And I promised I’d be a much better friend this time.

So, how are you doing?

Good? Good! You’re so nice, you’d probably say something like, “You look great!” because that’s the kind of thing everyone says to a new mom—regardless of if it’s true or not. I’d thank you, and tell you that I’m starting to feel much more like myself. I’m still not finding a lot of time to workout, but I do try to walk every single day. And I’m trying to fuel my body with healthy food and drink lots of water. I’m slowly dropping weight (did I tell you I lost five pounds last month?), but I’m not so worried about that. I’m mostly just happy that I’m starting to feel like myself again!

One of my goals for my 31st year on this planet was to stop worrying so much about documenting life, and instead spend more time actually living it. I struggle with (and I think a lot of us do) needing to feel validation through technology. I sometimes feel like if I don’t Instagram a picture of it or have an app to track it or write a blog post about it—the event didn’t matter. I’m (obviously) not one of those anti-technology people. I met my husband online. I’ve met some of my best friends through blogging. My career is entirely online. I get the value of the internet! My issue is that sometimes, it can feel like the digital world is where my life is happening, instead of in, you know, the real world.

This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds. All content and opinions are my own. Read more about my sponsored post disclosure policy in the BTHR Bylaws.

Before I had a baby, I promised myself I wouldn’t become one of those everything-is-about-my-kid parents. I wouldn’t revolve my whole life around my child. I would love her. I would be there for her. I would spend tons of quality time with her. But I would also make sure to take care of myself so I stayed healthy, happy, and, well, me. I believe that in order to teach healthy behaviors to my baby girl, I have to model them for her. And I think one of the healthiest behaviors (that I’ve yet to master personally) is taking care of yourself.

If you and I were to sit down for a cup of coffee this morning, I’d tell you that the idea of a coffee date was actually kinda ironic because I’m not drinking coffee right now. And then I’d probably order some sort of iced herbal tea, because I’m also off of soy and dairy—making pretty much everything on the menu at the coffee shop off-limits. That’s alright, it’s all so my baby girl feels better, so that makes it worth it.

Hello, Friends!

I'm Cassie. I’m a Midwestern girl who loves creating, cooking, and eating healthy food. If I’m not in the kitchen, you might find me playing in the garden, working on a sewing project, or dancing to oldies music.

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